


Mutual Understanding

by flmngdzhng



Category: HIStory3 - 圈套 | HIStory3: Trap
Genre: HIStory Web Series - Freeform, Jack (HIStory 3: Trapped), M/M, Meng Shao Fei - Freeform, Oneshot, Tang Yi - Freeform, Zhao Zi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 04:32:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19221658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flmngdzhng/pseuds/flmngdzhng
Summary: Just like their mutual understanding, it would be better to end it now.





	Mutual Understanding

**Author's Note:**

> Warning in advance: I was being nasty when writing this one. I left the relationships and characters columns for some reason lol. Let's see whether this would be able to surprise you or not.

It was quite a struggle for him to untangle himself from the blanket burrito in his half-asleep state. He twisted, turned, and wiggled several times to help himself out of it but to no avail. He silently cursed on himself for thoughtlessly making himself drunk and now was suffering from a hangover. But his priority at the moment was to free himself from the blanket—something that was supposed to be so simple yet somehow had become complicated due to his current state.

He contemplated to just give up and wait until he was completely sober, but he felt something shifting next to where he was lying there helplessly. Immediately, he became alert. Even more so when something landed somewhere over his blanketed body. He wanted to scream out, ask for help, or simply kick whoever it was that had guts to invade his personal space. How did this person manage to get in when he— _wait_ —had he even been sober enough to lock his door before he had gotten to bed last night? Or worse, had he actually brought someone home? If he had, then was it one of his colleagues; was it a random person he had just met at the bar? Which bar was it he had gone to? He had so many questions and screamed internally.

 

He wiggled again, trying once more to get away from the blanket first.

 

"Did you not say you're supposed to leave early in the morning?" he went still as he caught a voice, a somewhat familiar one to his hearing but he felt doubtful about who might be the owner of the voice due to his hangover.

 

He felt something moved over his covered body. At first, he thought it was the stranger trying to grope his body. However, it turned out that the person was helping him out.

 

Once he was finally free to move his body, he turned over to face the person and gasped the moment he found out that the person was not a stranger at all.

"Surprised?" The person flashed him a coy smile. "Here, drink this to ease your hangover."

He was still confused with what was happening that he could barely respond to the other, but almost immediately took the glass of water and what seemed to be painkiller medicine from the other person.

"Why are you here?" he hesitantly asked after he was done swallowing the medicine and drinking the rest of the water. But before the other got a chance to answer his eyes widened at the shirtless state of the other and exclaimed, "and why are you shirtless?"

Before him, the man pointed out to him and smirked. He followed to where the man was pointing out and frowned at his similarly shirtless state. It gave him some hint on what was happening—or had happened—with them.

"Tell me. Have you been here overnight?" still, he asked the man to make sure.

"Well, it should be obvious, right?" The coy smile was back and it annoyed him to see how the man did not seem to be bothered at all. At least, the fact that the person he had spent the night with was not a stranger was what put him at ease.

"Then remind me not to drink too much next time," he told the man before proceeding to go back to sleep. For some reason, the exhaustion he was feeling at the moment was making him sleepy again.

"Hey, now you can't go back to sleep. I won't wake you up later for your information."

 

He jolted as he got a surprise attack from the other. This man actually dared tickle him.

"Ugh, go away! Just let me sleep for a minute—no—give me five!" he whined (and laughed when those hands hit his most ticklish spots) while he swatted the hands that were tickling his waist.

"You really look like a cat now—a lazy and spoilt one," the other person commented without stopping from attacking him.

"Then let me be a cat for a little while," he told the other and laughed again while still attempting to push the man's hands away again as they kept coming back to tickle him. "Stop it, please! I'm about to die here."

 

After more attacks from the man and his attempt to defend himself, they finally stopped. He was more exhausted than he had already been but could not hide his smile because he was also happy at the moment. His smile turned into a wide grin as he saw the man leaning closer and lying down with him. He did not refuse the proffered open arms before him and took the opportunity without a second thought.

 

"Then, cat, I've been curious about something. So do tell this poor human. Are you still oblivious about what happened last night?" he heard the other asking, letting the man play with his hair.

He buried his face into the other person's toned chest, feeling content as his lips came in contact with the warm skin there.

"You know the answer," he murmured against the other person's skin. "Why are you still asking me?"

"Can't I?"

He only shrugged in return and hugged the man tighter.

"Then do you think it is okay for us to do _this_ —to be like _this_?" the man added.

 

He went still for a moment to contemplate the answer—the answer that he knew very well was unnecessary to say because he believed the man before him had already known it even without his saying it out loud. He parted his lips, as though he were about to say something. But, of course, "You, being concerned? Don't make me laugh," he scoffed instead.

 

"Hey, I'm being serious here," the other person protested and he earned a light smack across his bottom.

"And I answered, didn't I?" he replied, cheekily. "Not to mention you basically have known the answer already."

 

Distancing himself a little from the man—so he could take a proper look at the other person—he then could see what kind of expression the other was making. As he had predicted, the other person was giving him an incredulous stare, making him unable to resist the urge to poke his finger on the other's nose. He received another smack across his bottom and shrieked at the attack before smacking the other across the chest in return.

"You dare hit me like that?"

"Well, you're the one who started it!"

Both of them went on with their playful banter, attacking each other, and only stopped when they became too tired of it.

And, of course, that included him pulled into the other man's embrace again.

He would not lie. He liked it so much—the way their naked skins feel against each other; the comforting effect caused by the closure—and wondered if he could ever come to hate it. Would he ever feel the same warmth from someone else? Would he ever get the same warmth of tangled bodies that was enough to protect him from the chilly air in the morning?

Well, if this would be the best he could get, let him savour the moment while it lasted.

 

"So are you okay now?" he heard the other person ask him another question.

 

It took a moment before he could answer, "Not sure about it. But last night must have been more fun if I was sober."

"You have no idea what I had to go through the entire night."

"Then don't remind me."

He certainly did not need another reminder of what had troubled him and driven him to drink himself silly. Reminding him of that would also mean reminding him of the other time the man in front of him had warned him of what might come to him if he let emotions affect him. And now he had been trapped in the trouble he had caused himself, he did not think he could survive any more shame.

It would not do him any favour if they brought it up.

"You're so stubborn, aren't you?" the other person stated. Of course, this man would not give him some peace of mind.

"Well, you're no different yourself. You even have gone as far as using a _very cunning_ method." Yet he had his own way to steer it in a different direction.

"Thanks to you for mentioning that _very cunning_ method in the first place."

"You're welcome. It worked, right?"

But instead of getting an answer, he was suddenly being pushed away a little from the other. He tried not to whimper at the sudden loss of contact.

Looking up, the other person's smile was gone.

"What is it?" he prompted, uncertain and not liking the way the other was looking at him.

"Let me tell you. I'm serious this time," the other person said—or more likely confessed.

He could not tell which direction this man was heading for.

He tried to search for some hint from the man's eyes, but he found nothing aside from the determination that the man was showing him. It was rather disappointing to admit that it was becoming difficult for him to read the other person.

Sighing, he said as he sat up, "I'm so jealous. He's very lucky. Why did I never get that from you before?"

It was supposed to be a joke. He just wanted to lift the tension between them. But apparently, he had picked the wrong line and, as expected, the other person took it seriously.

"Hey," the other person sat up too; that way they were facing each other in sitting position. "You know why we—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry, I was wrong to say that," he cut the other before he got to hear the complete sentence, which was not what he wanted to hear especially this time.

 

He looked away—anywhere as long as it was not in the other man's line of vision—to hide from the other. The attempt was futile though. Because as quick as he twisted his head to avoid the other's eyes, the other person, which had already been too familiar even with the slightest change of his attitude, was also quick to stop him.

 

"What's this?" the man asked while cradling his face; he tried not to roll his eyes on the interrogative tone the man used and not to be swayed by the man's tenderness at the same time.

"I feel jealous—and guilty, too," he ended up saying. "I'm tired of everything. One time he looks like he's opening up to me, but the next time he would just clam up, pushing me away when all I want to do is to help him out."

"Hey, I'm so sorry—"

"No, I'm not done yet. Let me say this out."

The man did not object him and he went on, "I'm also ashamed that I did not listen to you when you warned me."

He did not care if he had whimpered at the end of his sentence.

 

Soon, he was pulled into the man's arms. He leaned on the man more when he felt a hand start caressing the back of his head.

"Hey, don't be like this. I know how hard it must be for you—how hard it has been for you. And if you want to stop, you know it's not late to do so."

He scoffed at the suggestion. "Stop it? Seriously? As if it were possible." As ridiculous as it sounded, it still bore some truth. He had probably fallen too deep already.

"Then what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know. I have no idea about what I am supposed to do when he's like that."

"Both of you are really stubborn, you know?" the man commented.

"You should not say that when you are no better."

 

He tried not to show his disappointment when the man suddenly let go of him.

 

"Meng Shao Fei, why did you say that? You never showed any objection to my moves before," the man protested.

"Man, you know why. He's a good kid. A pure one. I just feel it's not right to push him into your trap."

"Aren't you supposed to support me? At least, it's better to leave your dear friend to someone you _have_ _known_ for a long time, right?"

 

He sighed again for who-knows-how-many-times it was.

 

"I can't help it, okay? He's like a little brother to me."

"I know. But you know me, right? I won't ever hurt him."

 

Honestly speaking, he was not so sure about that. He knew the man in front of him rarely showed interest in any relationship that did not benefit him. It had also been the reason why theirs would never work out.

 

"Listen. Instead of being concerned about him—or us—you should just focus on your own _objective_."

The way the other spoke it kind of irritated him.

"You have no idea. I'm not even sure if it's going to work in my case."

"Why not?"

"He never really showed any interest in me. It's either sarcasm or hostility—and I—I'm getting tired of it. Can't you—"

His words were left unfinished as the man before him put a forefinger against his lips.

"Shush. Be patient. Soon or later he will realize how precious you are."

 

He gave the man a long stare—inside of his head questioning if he had ever been that way to someone else; if he had ever been what the man regarded him to be.

 

"I don't know anymore," he said before slumping against the man before him.

"Shao Fei." He leant away as the man called his name.

He waited as the man seemed to be deep in thought.

"Shao Fei, despite everything, I sincerely wish you to find your own happiness. I have seen it on my own. I really want you to be sure if this is what you really want. So if Tang Yi ever makes you sad—"

"Stop right there, Dian," he stopped the other man before the other man managed to finish his saying, and paused, and added, "You know very well I can take care of myself. Besides, don't you think it would be not good if they're to find out about _us_?"

"This is exactly why things would never work for us. You've always been unfair to yourself."

He had nothing to say about that.

 

Liang Dian—the man in front of him—wrapped his arms around him.

 

And he could feel it coming. This time, for sure, was going to be the real ending of what they had started several years ago. While both of them had realized long ago that their affair had no future, they had never really cut their communication. They still had each other's contact and sometimes secretly met up when possible and necessary— _like this one_. But then they had come across each other under this circumstance where both of them had also gotten enamoured of somebody else. They had known that they should have ended it for real.

If this was how it should be, then it was better to make it quick.

 

He retracted himself and said, "I think we'd better get ready for the day." His voice broke the pregnant silence that had been filling up the room for a while.

 

Without saying more, he got up from the bed to begin searching for his clothes. He was not surprised to find their clothes scattered on the floor if they had kind of gone all out last night, which had mostly happened based on the soreness he had just realized (If he seemed to be having difficulties in moving around—and not to mention looking ridiculous as he slightly limping around—Liang Dian did not mention about it).

 

"Well, I'm leaving first then," he said once he was done putting on his clothes and picking up the rest of his stuff.

 

"Shao Fei," Liang Dian called, but he ignored it.

 

He knew it would not do anything good to him if he let himself be there any longer. Just like their mutual understanding, it would be better to end it now.

 

He proceeded to the door, all the while restraining himself from looking at the other man. And once his hand grabbed the doorknob, he turned his head around—and still avoided the Liang Dian's gaze—and said, "Goodbye, Liang Dian. See you later, Jack."

 

Without giving the other a chance to say something, he twisted the doorknob and let himself out the room, bracing himself for whatever might come to him that day.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> And if you want to say hi, you're welcome to visit me [here](https://flmngdzhng.tumblr.com/)


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